The FBI has probably been monitoring the web activity of random citizens for quite some time, but today, as Cnet reports, the law enforcement bureau has formed a dedicated unit for the purpose of internet surveillance. But its end goal is a bit different than you may think.

If you are paranoid about the rise of a police state, it's time to pull out your metaphorical…
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According to Declan McCullough, the National Domestic Communications Assistance Center has a mandate to try and crack skype conversations, analyze internet traffic data, and build wiretapping hardware. But its not for investigations of its own; the goal is to develop new technologies to help make it easier for other law enforcement agencies to spy on us.

"It is important to point out that the NDCAC will not be responsible for the actual execution of any electronic surveillance court orders and will not have any direct operational or investigative role in investigations. It will provide the technical knowledge and referrals in response to law enforcement's requests for technical assistance."

Plenty of mystery still surrounds the formation of this new unit, but the thought that online privacy is little more than a myth is a scary idea. [Cnet]